One of my firm’s – Saikrishna & Associates clients, received a letter sometime back, requesting them to pay a certain sum of money for getting their patent application “registered at the European Patent Offices.”
When we received a call from the client requesting us to look into the matter and get the payment processed, we were rather surprised, because the letter purportedly stated that it was for registration of an International Patent. Below is a redacted copy of the letter. There are many things that are extremely suspicious here: for example there is no such thing as a international patent. It is coming from Europe where so far country by country designation has to be made. The beneficiary is a private entity UPTS etc..
Digging further, we found that there are many such scams prevalent in both patenting and in trademarks. WIPO for example cautions its users to these scams and provides many such example notices on its website: It has come to the attention of the International Bureau that PCT applicants and agents are receiving invitations to pay fees that do not come from the International Bureau of WIPO and are unrelated to the processing of international applications under the PCT. Whatever registration services might be offered in such invitations, they bear no connection to WIPO or to any of its official publications.
We urge our readers to be careful while dealing with any such requests for payments.
Dear Rajiv,
We are receiving such letters since 5-6 years. These letter no where says this fee payment is in relation to WIPO/ any other patent office.
Rather the letter says it is an contract once the fee is payed the client name and PCT No. will be registered in the providers portal i.e. his private web portal.